Rob a Dub Dub
by lakariana
Summary: Pirate Investigations first case is a little odd and as always nothing is as it seems. Will David and Hook solve the mystery easily or will they end up in danger again? Sequel to Pride and Sorrow. Post season 5 Captain Charming on a background of CS and Snowing.
1. Chapter 1

...

 **Author's Note:** Here we go again. I was aiming for less shocking and more entertaining this time, so I hope you guys have fun reading this. If you haven't read Pride and Sorrow you may be slightly confused as this is a direct sequel and I talk about situations and characters from that story.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Once Upon a Time or its characters, I am using them in my own story. Other characters have also been taken from other tales but full disclaimers on those will be given at the end so as not to spoil any surprises. I hope you enjoy.

….

 **Chapter one**

Emma and Charming lost the battle for Sheriff, mainly due to the town threatening crises generally being linked almost directly to them.

"It's more an issue of bias than blame," Dr Hopper had told them at the commiseration drinks after the vote. "I think the people wanted someone who they could be sure would look out for the rest of the town as well as their own family."

David and Emma had wanted to argue the point but the time for that was well and truly over. In fairness Emma couldn't really criticise the town's choice for the new sheriff and the demotion to deputy had freed her up to spend more time with her family. Having less responsibility didn't have to be a negative. The only problem, which as it turned out wasn't a problem at all, was that Storybrooke didn't need a sheriff and _two_ deputies so someone had to leave. She'd only felt a little snubbed when she'd found out her pirate had already head hunted her father for his detective agency and Killian had made sure to make it up to her.

Emma dropped the sedan into park and pulled the handbrake, her eye catching on the shining sheriff's star attached to her passenger's hip.

"We could have walked this distance," Mulan grumbled.

"I told you, the sedan isn't just for transport, we can use it to hold suspects, it stores equipment and if we get a call on the other side of town we can just go," Emma explained to her new sheriff for the second time. "You'll need to start embracing this realm's stuff you know. It's not all sword swinging and charging into battle here."

"I am wearing these _jeans_ you suggested," Mulan replied.

"And?" Emma asked as they exited the car.

"They are comfortable and easy to move in and seem hard wearing," the new sheriff admitted.

"You just need to lose your chest armour and you'll be one of the natives," Emma said nodding at the heavy layered armour weighing down the other woman's shoulders.

"There may not be swords swinging all the time but you admit people still use swords on occasion," Mulan stated as if Emma was the one being silly.

"Yeah, I guess I did say that," the previous sheriff now deputy sighed.

Mulan had moved into the sheriff's station with the dedication and vigour everyone expected from the warrior. Her seemingly inherent self confidence meaning she had no issue asking Emma for help and advice with matters she had no experience in, mainly issues related to The Realm Without Magic, but also meant she wasn't afraid to set up new protocols, which is how they had deputised one of the fairies as the official Sheriff's magical adviser. It was also why currently every other afternoon included a training session, Mulan with a gun and Emma with a variety of old world weaponry. Mulan was a faster learner than Emma was proving to be. All in all, the transition had been shockingly painless.

They stood together on the sidewalk as Mulan studied the half burnt shell of the main street bakery. Emma took a breath and concentrated on letting the other woman take the lead. They'd got the all clear from the fire chief that it was safe to enter and their visit was more of a formality while they awaited his report anyway. It was still difficult not to go striding ahead and demand answers. She had never been good at letting go of the reins, recent events involving darkness and underworlds proved that, but she knew the other woman appreciated respect and formality and although there had been an awkward couple of moments, they were getting less and less.

Mulan seemed satisfied with her external inspection as she finally moved to the entrance, the glass door having been broken and discarded by the fire fighters. Emma followed a step behind.

The original yellow paint could still be seen in patches between the black soot and charred masonry. It was kind of disappointing to see the lovely window display had all been replicas, probably more due to the fact the plated breads and buns had melted into dysmorphic plastic mass.

"Sheriff!" a startled voice squeaked from the back of the shop. Standing next to a huge stone oven was a bedraggled man with red hair and beard and smudges of ash on his hands and face.

"Are you the owner?" Mulan asked.

"Er...yes, yes I am," he replied taking a strange side step away from the oven.

"You don't sound very convinced," Emma noted. The guy actually tugged nervously on his collar.

"Sorry, I've never been questioned by police before," he said. Emma and Mulan exchanged an unimpressed look.

"Why don't you tell us your side of things Mr…?" Mulan started.

"Baker."

"Your _name_ is Baker?" Emma asked incredulously.

"Yes," the baker sighed, in a way that suggested he heard that response a lot. "I really don't know what happened. I locked up as usual at the end of yesterday around eight pm then I went home. I live alone before you ask. Then I got a call at four this morning from the fire chief saying my shop was burning. I came right here... and it was."

"And you have no idea what could have set it off?" Mulan asked moving to the back of the shop where he was standing. The baker's eyes flicked to the oven and then the floor.

"No idea, that's what I was looking for when you came in," he mumbled. Mulan and Emma exchanged another look. The new sheriff tilted her head towards the nervous man and then at her deputy. Emma caught the signal and plastered on her best friendly smile.

"Come on Mr Baker, let's sit down over here," she said, motioning to a pile of chairs that had somehow escaped the blaze. She grabbed the two least smoke damaged ones and placed them so Mulan and the oven were just behind them. The baker shuffled over looking between the two of them.

"Sorry, I'm not sure who to talk to. Does it get awkward?" he asked, finally giving in and sitting with Emma, though he kept glancing back at the sheriff. Emma opened her mouth to offer a swift denial.

"Yes it does," Mulan said bluntly. "But that's our concern not yours. You may speak freely to both of us."

"Right, right, sure," he nodded.

"So Mr Baker, can you tell us how your oven works?" Emma asked.

"Er, it's a traditional stone oven, like we had in the old world. People like to come in and see it, they say my bread reminds them of home," he stated proudly. "It has a large coal burner underneath, er the door's at the back there." He turned and pointed and Mulan disappeared around the side to check it out. "All the coal is stored out back in a separate storage shed, you know in case there's a...fire." He gave out an anxious breath and looked around his destroyed shop. Emma patted him awkwardly on the hand and willed Mulan to return quickly.

"Could you have left it burning?" she asked.

"No. There's a whole protocol for putting out every day and it shouldn't have mattered if I had. It's designed to be on for hours without tending. You know, so we can bake through the morning."

"Who else works with you?" Mulan asked as she emerged from behind the oven and walked over to join them.

"Er, I have Thomas er, Boulger, he helps with the baking and Tess, she runs the till," he answered. "I've called them and told them not to come in."

"Very sensible," Emma said with only a hint of sarcasm. "We'll need their contact details."

"Right, right, er…" he floundered, pulling out his phone and then looking lost until Emma handed him her pad and paper.

"We'll have to wait and see what the fire expert says, but just in case... is there anyone who would want to burn down your bakery?" Mulan asked. The baker looked startled.

"No, no," he denied emphatically. "No one. I'm well liked and like I said, everyone loves my bread." Emma wasn't sure about that. No one had ever recommended or even mentioned the bread shop to her, but she chose to keep that to herself. She didn't kick people when they were down.

"Okay, Mr Baker," Mulan said, motioning to Emma that they should leave. "We'll contact you when we have the report."

"Yes, Thank you Sheriff er, Sheriffs," he called after them as they walked back out into the fresh air.

"What do you think?" Mulan asked.

"He's not telling us everything, but whether it's because he started the fire on purpose or because he was incompetent and started it by accident, it's difficult to tell." Emma replied.

"I found this in a pile of ashes by the oven. Looked like he was trying to clean up," Mulan said, holding out a piece of burned material that could have been blue once. Emma squinted at it and shrugged when she couldn't discern anything more.

"I'll get a bag for it," she said, moving to open the sedan's trunk for the box of basic forensic supplies she'd collected. "Hey, your first investigation, you looking forward to it?"

"It was a fire in the middle of main street Emma, people could have died," Mulan replied flatly.

"So that's a yes," Emma smirked, taking the material and dropping it into a sandwich bag.

"Yes," the Sheriff admitted, her cautious smile making her look downright sweet. A look that faded into her usual stern mask when she nodded over Emma's shoulder to the two men leaning against the caution tape surrounding the edge of the scene.

"Morning Love. Sheriff," Hook nodded in greeting as they walked over. "And if the morning hasn't been made dramatically lovelier by seeing you both," he smirked as his eyes flicked to Mulan, a twinkle of suggestiveness in their blue depths. She gave Emma a look of _are you serious_ and walked away.

"Stop aggravating Mulan Hook, I'm trying to convince her that you've changed, but every time she sees you you go back into that infuriating pirate mode she hates," Emma scolded as she smacked him on the arm.

"I'm sorry Love," Hook said half sincerely. "But I see her disapproving face and I can't help myself."

"Hey Dad, you guys here about the fire?" she asked, giving her father a good morning kiss on the cheek.

"Actually we didn't know about it until we pulled up, it's the next door shop that's asked to see us, but we don't believe in coincidences," David replied.

Emma studied the shoe repairs and key cutting store next to the bakery, there was some smoke and singe marks on the external bricks and signage but the owner couldn't know the extent of the damage yet.

"Hey," her dad interrupted her thoughts. "If it's relevant to your investigation we'll let you know, promise," he reassured her.

"So? What's happened here then?" Hook asked nodding behind her at the bakery.

"It is such a shame you offended the new Sheriff because she doesn't want me talking to you about cases," Emma shrugged. Now Hook looked offended and actually sent Mulan a hurt look that she rolled her eyes at.

"The owner says he locked up last night then the fire service called him early this morning to tell him it was burning. Looks like it started at the back where the ovens are, but we'll wait for the report. Owner doesn't know what happened," Emma summarised.

"You think he's lying?" Hook asked.

"He's too nervous about something, don't know what yet," Emma said. Hook and David nodded taking her opinion as fact.

"Well, we best not be late, our first proper client after all, " Hook said, giving her a peck on the cheek goodbye which was followed by one from her father.

Mulan came back to her side as she watched them enter the next door shop, an alien feeling of pride mixed with nervousness for them settling in her chest as they went to work. Her boyfriend and her father fighting crime together...what every girl dreams of.

"I still don't understand how you're with him," Mulan frowned.

"It's way too long a story," Emma replied evasively, turning back to the sedan and climbing in the driver's side. Mulan getting into the passenger seat as she spoke. "But, he really is different to what we first thought when we met him. We've been through so much together and he...he sacrificed a lot showing me how much he loves me…. And, I love him." Emma started the car and kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead, amazed that she'd managed to say any of those words out loud.

"I can see he's different," Mulan admitted quietly, thankfully not pressing the love issue. Emma had never been so grateful the warrior wasn't a stereotypical girly girl.

"Part of that was coming here, to Storybrooke. He finally changed his clothes for one," Emma said giving her sheriff a challenging smirk.

"Maybe it wasn't such a surprise that I ended up in Untold Story?" Mulan said, running a hand from her jeans covered thigh to the dagger she still kept strapped to her waist. "After Red woke Dorothy I found myself acting as part bodyguard part third wheel… again," she sighed. "When Hyde spoke of this new realm I realised it was the one Red and Snow talked about. I thought it would be a good place to try and be my own story and stop being a side character in other people's." It was the most personal information Emma had ever heard her give in one go and panicked for a second for how to respond.

"Well I'm really glad you did, or you wouldn't be here now and I'd have to deal with Nottingham as Sheriff," Emma replied trying to joke through the awkward moment.

"Let's not waste time thinking about what didn't happen, we need to figure out what did," Mulan said firmly, drawing the conversation to a close.

"Aye aye' Sheriff," Emma mock saluted.

"It's still unbelievable," Mulan muttered, shaking her head at amount of pirate recognisable in Snow White's daughter.

…..

The interior of the key cutting and shoe repairs shop might have been spared the flames but the air was hazy with the acrid smoke that was still hanging around.

"Are you the pirate investigators?" an old voice croaked from the back of the little shop. A man with grey balding hair, a slightly bent back and small round glasses came out from behind a high counter looking them both up and down.

"I told you everyone would call us that," David commented.

"Only because you keep repeating it," Hook replied before addressing the old man. "I'm the pirate, he's a prince, but we are investigators."

"You have to use it, it's our brand," David interrupted.

"Our brand? What do we need a brand for? We're the only outfit in town that does this work," Hook complained.

A cough drew their attention to the frowning cobbler who was clearly wondering if he'd made a mistake calling them.

"Sorry," David apologised. "If this about your neighbour's fire, it'll probably be best to wait for the fire chief's report before-"

"It's a smoke screen," the old man cut him off sharply.

"You mean... a literal one?" David asked confused.

"Yes," he exclaimed. "I need you to prove it."

"Prove what exactly?" Hook asked.

"That he's been robbing me for weeks."

"What has he taken?" David asked.

"I don't know," the old man replied with just as much conviction.

"You don't know what he took? How do you know he took anything?" Hook asked incredulously.

"Someone has been in here, night after night, moving things. At first I thought I was just being forgetful, I'm not as young as I once was," the old man said showing them further into his shop.

"No one is, though some are closer than others," Hook smirked waving at his own face. The cobbler ignored him.

"But I tested myself," he continued. "Look, I always make sure I leave my tools in these exact spaces every evening when I close up but in the morning they are moved around into the wrong places."

Most of the walls were covered in uncut keys and an assortment of tools hanging on little hooks. The inside of the counter was set with multiple shelves and cubby holes that were filled with pieces of leather and rubber and various other materials. The countertops and a small work bench were clear and clean. It was a very tidy shop. Everything had a designated place and everything looked like it was in its place.

"The samples back here?" the old man continued showing them the cubby holes. "I have them by colour, have done my whole career, but look. Look! They're arranged by size." The old man spoke as if this was a great scandal and David and Hook exchanged an uncomfortable glance.

"You may think I am a crazy old man but does it matter?" he challenged them. "I will pay you to find out what's going on. If you prove that it is just me losing my marbles I will still pay you. But I'm telling you, it's that sneaky bastard next door."

"And you think it's the baker because…?" David asked.

"Because he's up to something. I've seen him skulking around, strange bundles under his arm. He's been having _meetings_ , in his bakery, after hours. Who does that?" he listed. David and Hook exchanged another glance and Hook shrugged.

"Right, OK," David said accepting the case. "We'll ask around see if anyone knows anything and er...stake out the back of your shop tonight see if anyone comes by." The old man puffed up with satisfaction, giving them both his first smile.

"Good. Thank you," he said, shaking both their hands. A case was a case the two investigators told themselves. No matter how un-case like the case may seem.

….

"Well I already know our first port of call," Hook declared when they were back on the sidewalk. He paced backwards for three steps, turned and walked into the next store along, right under the sign with _LIQUOR_ written on it.

"Hook, it's not even nine," David complained following the pirate.

"Captain!" called out a happy voice from the back room. Of course Hook was a regular here, the prince thought. The store didn't actually seem to be open yet, which was both a relief and discouraging considering how confidently Hook had wandered in. "You can't be here for your regular order yet," the shop owner continued emerging from a back room into the store front.

She was medium build but had enough muscle to give the impression she could take care of herself. Her dark wavy hair was cropped into a short bob that flicked outwards at the end giving her a permanent windblown look and she had on enough jewellery to walk the line between excessive and more than excessive. The only way the woman could look more like a pirate was if she strapped a sword and pistols to her chest.

"You are correct Skylights," Hook smiled. "I'm actually here enquiring about your fire afflicted neighbour."

"Ah, you mean the ginger bread guy?" she replied cheekily. David coughed out a laugh and Hook shook his head. Why did everyone love puns so much in this realm?

"The only reason you can call him that is because you're one too," he said, deciding to play along.

"Aye, a sensitive lot our race," she mock sighed. David frowned at the dark haired woman.

"Are you some kind of baker?" He asked and was not surprised when the two pirates laughed at him.

"My apologies Dave, may I introduce you to the Sly Fox," Hook introduced with a bow. The fox smirked and gave a small bow back at him. "Best lookout I ever had," Hook continued. David groaned internally, he didn't like coming with Hook to talk to his old crew. The conversation would always descend into private jokes and short hand reminiscences.

"Who better to see in the dark of Neverland's night," Skylights replied.

"Who indeed?" Hook agreed. "But what we require now is information."

"About Baker? Not much to tell Captain, the man is an arse of the highest order."

"In what way?" David asked.

"In every way," the fox stated. "He acts like he's better than us because he's an _artisan_ and we're all trade. He won't do anyone any favours but expects them from you. He makes out that closing down the town line and all the upheavals with Camelot and such haven't affected his business at all, but we all know he's doing as badly if not worse than us. Everyone loves his bread? Everyone _buys_ my booze."

"He ever break into other shops at night and move things around?" Hook asked.

"No," she answered slowly. "Why?"

"No matter," Hook replied brushing it off. "What of the old man between you?"

"You know those people who used to stand on street corners shouting that the end was nigh?"

"Paranoid type then," Hook guessed.

"Might put it lightly sir. Also he's one of those men who won't admit they're getting old. I keep having to send one of my staff over on pretences, to help him move things and the like," she sighed shaking her head.

"You get any damage from the fire," David asked looking around.

"No. I can smell the smoke something fierce but we were spared anything that'll need fixing," she said. Hook gave her a solid pat on the shoulder.

"I'll be by for my order as usual," he smiled. "And if you spot anybody sulking about your neighbour's gimme a call."

"Aye, Captain."

"So….The Sly Fox was your look out?" David asked when the shop was behind them.

"Aye, and now I have a magical dog with eyes the size of mill wheels who guards the ship and keeps my decks clean," Hook shrugged his shoulders in a _what you going to do_ kind of way. "Didn't hurt that her teeth are as sharp as needles, can bite through bone that one," Hook continued appreciatively. David didn't share the Captain's enthusiasm but gave him a flat smile hoping he'd stop talking about it.

….

 **Author's note:** The game's afoot! I hope you found it interesting.I love Mulan, the animated and Once versions, so I'm glad I found a good way to include her. Do you approve? I know, she says she wants her own story and I ironically used her as a side character, but at least I'm using her!

Updates won't be as fast on this as the last one, but I shall get it out as soon as possible because I have a massive exam that I really should be concentrating on preparing for. My brain won't stop rebelling however, so I also have a quick one shot in this universe to polish off before I post it as an interlude in the middle of this one.

As always, Thank you so much for reading. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. I really look forward to hearing from you.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** This one has some fact finding in, I hope it's still entertaining. I have also had a minor panic that my title could be construed as racist/insulting. Is it? Please tell me if you feel offended in any way. I will come up with another. I hope you enjoy reading.

...

 **Chapter two**

David balanced the take out holder on his arm as he popped the handle on the driver's side door and snagged the bottom with his foot, swinging it all the way open.

"Here you go, one large coffee, sugars on the side there. Don't spill any in my new car," he said, as he handed the drinks and snacks to Hook and slid into the car himself.

Their first night time stakeout, he wasn't sure if he was upset or relieved at how boring it was. At least they were warm and comfortable. He missed his old pick up, he'd had it since before the first curse broke, but he was enjoying all the fancy electronics his new vehicle came with, he just had to make sure this one didn't get blown up.

"Thanks Mate," the pirate replied opening the lid and taking a deep blissful breath in.

"Anything happen while I was gone?" David asked fishing out his own drink and a bacon roll.

"That flyer that was flapping in the wind finally fell off the wall," Hook reported.

"And I missed it," David shook his head regretfully. Hook scoffed good naturedly next to him and they fell into companionable silence. It was times like this David found the most surprising, rescue missions and sacrificing in the name of love and honour, that had never seemed that out of character, but the villainous revenge driven Captain Hook sitting happy and relaxed sipping on take out coffee? So strange. If he needed anymore proof the man had changed, this would be exhibit A. Not that David had any doubts anymore.

"So, did Granny tell you anything about our suspected trespasser. Does he have a known fetish for rearranging things by size?" Hook asked. David laughed

"She doesn't know much. He's her breakfast crowd competition so they're not exactly friends. She had the same opinion about his character that Skylights did, but one detail I didn't pick up on when we spoke to the fox, his _name_ is Baker."

"He's a baker and his name is Baker?" Hook asked.

"Must save ink on his business cards," David said. They shared a grin. "Speaking of business cards…."

"Here we go," Hook sighed.

"I don't get why you're so against it. I thought you were proud of being a pirate?"

"I am and I'm not," Hook replied. David half turned in his seat so he could see his friend's face properly, waiting for him to say more. "I still think it makes us sound like a joke. It should be something more direct," the pirate continued, veering the conversation away from anything personal.

"Like Hook?"

"Aye, exactly. It's clear and to the point and leaves no confusions."

"So what do you have in mind?" David demanded. Hook huffed and took a big sip of coffee unwilling to admit he had no ideas. "I thought so."

"Here's a question worth answering," Hook said. "Why don't we use one of those video devices to record this instead of sitting here ourselves?"

"That would actually be a good idea," David admitted. "If we had any video cameras. Maybe once we start turning a profit. Hey, we could get a surveillance van." Before David could get too caught up in exciting future gadget plans the bakery's back door opened and the baker appeared.

"Here we go. Off to catalogue your neighbour's stationary?" Hook asked out loud.

But he didn't go to the old man's shop. He pressed his back to the wall attempting to stay in some nonexistent shadows as he crept to the edge of the building and scampered across the car park.

"Well, maybe the old man was on to something after all. That is some suspicious behaviour," Hook said. "But it's nought to do with key cutting and shoe repairs, are we just going to leave him to his business and go home?"

"No we are not," David replied starting the car.

"I didn't think so either."

….

The baker managed to unconsciously make it very difficult for them to follow him. They could keep him in sight easily, but he wasted so much time making poor attempts at backtracking and diving into cover that they worried that he would eventually spot David's car following him and had to drop further away than they liked. David was about to suggest they ditch the car altogether and follow him on foot when he suddenly walked down a residential street and up to a small granny flat that had been built over one of the house's garages.

Sitting on the drive in front of the garage with the engine running was a small white car with gold detailing. Baker leaned down to the driver side window, tugging on his collar nervously. The tint on the windscreen prevented David and Hook from seeing the person inside but a muscular arm reached out the window and grabbed the baker by his shirt front yanking him so his head disappeared into the car. Baker scrambled to pull away and fell hard against the tarmac as he was released. The car immediately drove off, the mysterious occupant not bothering to check if the man on the ground was alright.

"What was that then?" Hook asked. David could only shake his head as Baker got himself up and stumbled to the door of the little apartment. He fumbled with the key as his hand shook but managed to get it open and disappeared inside. David and Hook waited for the lights to come on but the windows remained dark.

"Is this where he lives? It seems a little small and really far from his shop," David asked, frowning at the tiny building that was mostly garage.

"I dunno, maybe?" Hook replied.

"If it isn't, why would he come here?" David asked.

"Maybe he's doing surveillance?" Hook joked.

"You know what? I think that might be exactly be what he is doing," David said. He pointed to the end window of the flat. The lights were still off but the curtain was being pulled open, the distinctive shape of a camera lens catching the light from the streetlight as it was revealed.

"Oh right, so _he_ gets a video device," Hook grumbled. David threw him an exasperated look that the pirate ignored. They sat and watched for another fifteen minutes but there was no further movement.

"What do you think?" David asked his partner.

"I think if he's in there he's fallen asleep and even if he's not, I don't think us sitting here will get us any closer to the answers we seek," Hook replied. David sighed in relief, he'd had enough of sitting in the car staring at nothing for one night.

"Let's come back tomorrow and see what we can see," he said, dropping the car into drive and heading for home.

…..

"What did you find then?" the old cobbler demanded down the phone the next morning.

"Well…." David said, trying to decide what the tell him.

"You got nothing do you?" he accused. "Everything moved again last night. What were you doing? Sleeping on the job?"

"No Sir. Please let me assure you, we are on the job," David said pinching between his eyes. "Actually we saw the baker behaving suspiciously-"

"I told you-"

"Yes," David interrupted back. "We're not sure if it's connected to your shop yet so we're looking into him a little closer." There was a pause as the old man thought it over.

"Fine," he said gruffly. "But I want results." Then he hung up.

"Heard that from here," Hook said from where he was leaning on the car next to the prince. "Our client not happy is he?"

"No," David sighed. "I'm not sure I blame him either. Are we sure this has anything to do with the case?"

"We won't know until we look into it," Hook replied. "He's the one who put us on to his neighbour in the first place. We're just tracking down every available lead."

"Henry had you watching cop shows again?" David asked, laughing at the modern phrase leaving his friend.

"They're good theatre Mate," Hook shrugged. "Although the perpetrator is always the second person they talk to."

"If only it were that easy," David said. "Come on, let's get this over with."

They had parked just down the road and spent what felt like an appropriate amount of time watching cautiously before abandoning that for their usual tactic of walking straight up to the problem. They strode up the walk to the front door of the little apartment and Hook knocked on the door as David fell back to a covering position.

"Hello?" a voice called from the other side of the door.

"Hello," Hook called back. There was a pause.

"What do you want?" asked the voice.

"Just to ask a couple of questions," David answered.

"Questions about what?"

"Can you open the door? It'll make all this easier," David asked. There was another pause and then the door reluctantly swung open.

"Your Highness?" The scruffy young man standing the doorway stared open mouthed at David as he recognised him. David frowned back as his brain ran over the guy's features.

"O..wen? Owen Smith," David said, happy he could place the man's face. "This is the blacksmith who helps at the stables," he introduced to Hook. Smith looked slightly embarrassed and nodded hello.

"We saw a man come to this flat last night," Hook said, getting straight to business. "Is he here now?"

"N..No, Ba..I mean, I'm the only one here," Smith answered with a nervous stutter.

"Do you live here?" David asked. Smith started to shake his head and then stopped and half nodded and then changed his mind again.

"We can check you know," Hook lied. Smith shook his head. "So why are you here?" Hook asked.

"I..I can be here if I want to be," Smith replied defensively.

" _Do_ you want to be?" the pirate asked, noting how uncomfortable he was. The man in the door bit his lip and didn't say anything.

"Look. The baker? We know he came here last night. Why was that?" David asked. Smith gave a pained non-committal half shrug.

"I don't know," he mumbled but his eyes dropped to study his feet. "Look, I'm not supposed to talk to people. I shouldn't have answered the door. I'm sorry your Highness, I need to go."

"Owen, are you in trouble?" David asked, as the door was swinging shut. The blacksmith froze like he'd been slapped. "If you are, we can help you. Whatever it is, there's nothing you can't come back from. Look at us," David said, waving his hand at Hook, who gave his partner a quick annoyed glare as he nodded his support. The blacksmith physically wavered but shook his head and the door started swinging shut again. "Here, take my number," David said shoving a scrap of paper through the decreasing gap. "Sorry it's not a proper card. You can call me, any time. No strings attached."

The blacksmith looked strangely at the scrap of paper before he slipped it inside his trouser pocket with a small nod of thanks.

None of them saw the curtains on the other side of the road twitching as a shadowed figure watched them intently, letting the curtain fall back into place as the two investigators turned away to cross the road, the granny flat's door clicking shut behind them.

David and Hook stopped on the opposite side of the road to the small apartment. David couldn't shake his concern for the blacksmith. The guy had been too on edge. He didn't know him well, the young man was the quiet sort, but he was always polite and had done good work for him and everyone at the stables seemed to like him. What was he and Baker mixed up in?

"Well, the only three houses you can see properly from that window is these three across the road," he said, looking back and forth.

"Then let's see who lives here," Hook replied and walked up to the first house.

All the houses on the road were a similar style and size, the one they were walking up to had been painted in brown with white and black trim and frames, so that it looked simultaneously boring and over the top. Attached to the wall by the front door was a brass 80 and an ornate bell pull. A sharp tug on which, set off a jingling deep in the house. The door was opened by a petite and beautiful Indian woman in a pale pink sari with gold embroidery that matched her gold bracelets and earrings. Her makeup was understated but highlighted her high cheekbones and large eyes, drawing you into their dark depths.

"Yes?" she asked when the two men at her door stood staring at her without saying anything.

"Sorry Love," Hook said, quickly falling into the smooth infuriating pirate mode Mulan hated. "Captain Killian Jones and David Nolan, we are investigators. We just have a couple of questions about your neighbourhood if you have time for us?"

They had hotly debated their tactics for the day, David determined not to lie and Hook positive giving people the whole truth was asking for doors to slam in their faces. They had settled on a mix of half truth and secrets, that neither was totally satisfied with.

"What sort of questions?" the woman asked.

"What sort of people live here?" Hook suggested. "What do you do for instance?"

"I'm a homemaker," the woman replied. "That's seems to be the term for wife in this realm."

"And your husband?" Hook prompted.

"My husband," the woman sighed in an exasperated voice that seemed more for her own amusement than theirs. "I guess you'd say he's an adventurer. Why do you want to know these things?" she asked. The way she studied them as she waited for their reply let them know she had plenty of intelligence backing up her pretty features.

"We're looking into some strange occurrences that might be linked to one of your neighbours," David answered sticking to the script.

"What strange occurrences?"

"We'd rather not say," Hook replied. "We don't want to be responsible for any gossip or damaged reputations should things all come to nothing." The woman raised her eyebrows at them but accepted their answer as satisfactory.

"My husband and I were brought here in the second curse," she said tilting her head in interest at David's wince. "A lot of the houses on this road are empty, A couple from Untold Story moved in recently to the house next door," she nodded to the house that stood directly opposite to the little granny flat. "I suppose I should expect more of that now Mr Hyde owns much of the road. They keep to themselves. I see them from time to time but we've never spoken beyond a hello. The house beyond that was given to a lady who took in some orphaned children. By the Mayor's Office," she clarified. "She certainly needs the space."

"What of your neighbours across the way?" Hook asked.

"Directly opposite me is an old lady and her son, I don't know who they were in the old world. They seem largely concerned with growing vegetables. I think some people moved into the little place above the garage there, but it's odd I haven't seen anyone in the main house." Hook and David exchanged a look at that. "I'm afraid I don't know anyone else." the woman finished.

"What about your husband? Would he know anyone?" David asked.

"My husband doesn't stay at home long enough to meet any neighbours," the woman replied. An awkward silence stretched out for a moment. "Was that all?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you," David said.

"Aye, Mrs…?" Hook asked.

"Fogg. Mrs Aouda Fogg," she said. Hook gave her a deep bow and lifted her hand to kiss the back. She looked startled but accepted the kiss with such grace, she might as well have had a neon sign over her head shouting _princess._

"If I may," Hook said still holding her hand. "As a man prone to adventure myself and often responsible for leading men far from their wives, let me reassure you. The only thing we dream of while we're away is home and the people there waiting for us." The woman's eyes let him know she wasn't buying it but they sparkled with amusement at the gesture.

"Thank you Captain, for giving an adventure widow a little hope," she said and pulled her hand away nodding goodbye to them both.

"That was...poetic," David said as they moved to the next house.

"There's more to being a pirate captain than looking good and sword fights you know," Hook replied airily.

"Seeing as you're dating my daughter, I don't think I do want to know," the prince replied.

The next house was painted a sandy yellow and had several large terracotta pots arranged decoratively around the front garden and porch. They searched the door for a way to announce themselves but had to resort to Hook banging on the wood with his hook after they couldn't find anything. A large middle aged man with tanned skin and a dark pointed goatee answered the door. He did not look pleased to see them.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"We are investigators. We just have a couple of questions about your-" David started.

"I'm sorry, I don't have time," the man cut him off sharply.

"It'll only take a moment," David said. The man frowned, his dark eyebrows bunching together.

"It's my wife," he said slowly as if trying to gauge their reaction. "She's not well. I must take care of her." something about the way he said _take care_ made them both tense.

"By all means then, don't let us keep you," Hook said just as slowly. The three of them stood looking at each other then the man closed the door.

"Everyone on this road is a bit strange," David commented as they walked back to the sidewalk.

"Everyone in this _town_ is a bit strange," Hook pointed out.

"Oi! Captain!"

"Boys!" he yelled back, stifling a groan. The last house was not as neat as the previous two. The front garden was roughly kept with overgrown bushes and grass that seemed to rely on the various bikes and ball games scattered around it to keep it trampled down to a reasonable height. Sitting in the middle of the grass was two young girls around four and seven watching the two men approach with great interest, half made daisy chains forgotten on their laps. They hadn't been the ones who'd shouted though.

"Did you really die?" A preteen boy called from an upstairs window.

"Did it hurt? Was there loads of blood?" another asked as he hung halfway out the window frame.

"I don't believe anything happened," a third larger boy called down as he leaned on his friends.

Great, David thought, Lost Boys, just what they needed. Emma and Snow were always telling him that they were still children no matter how long they had been alive and that Pan must have done terrible things to them, so they deserved multiple second chances and patient support. David was never convinced.

"We're not in Neverland anymore, so it really doesn't matter what you believe," Hook replied. The boys seemed to find this hilarious and fell about laughing. Hook clenched his jaw in irritation.

"Oh he's so handsome," said the seven year old to the smaller girl on the grass. Hook's anger immediately evaporated.

"Shut up Flo," the largest boy yelled. "No one cares what you think."

"You ignore them Little Love," Hook said gently. "Everyone knows one girl is worth more than twenty boys." David could practically see the heart eyes on her face as the little girl gazed up at the pirate.

"Alright," David said shoving Hook in the back to get him moving. "I thought I was the one people called Charming."

"I always got the impression that moniker was more sarcastic than descriptive," Hook smiled. David threw him a glare and knocked on the door.

"Ye- one second Charlie let me open the door. Can you wait one second?" said a distracted and very tired sounding voice. The door opened halfway and closed again. The two investigators pulled faces at each other. David was about to knock again when the door was flung open by a woman who took one look at them and gave a very tired sigh.

"I don't suppose you're here to rescue me?" she asked.

"No," David said regretfully.

"Like I'd be that lucky," she sighed again. She had a sleeping toddler resting in her arms and shifted him so she could lean against the door. "And what can I do for two handsome non-rescuers then?"

"We're-"

"That had better not be what I think it is!" she called back into the house suddenly. "Sorry you were saying?"

"We're," David started again. This time he was cut off by the crash of something that was definitely breaking.

"Gods! Here," she shoved the toddler into Hook's arms and flew back into the house.

Hook eyes widened in panic as he gripped the still asleep infant with one arm while trying to keep his hook away from the tiny form as he started to slip down his chest.

"Here," David laughed. "I'll take him." He carefully pulled the child from his partner and the little boy unconsciously wrapped his arms around his neck as he found a comfortable position. David wanted to tease the pirate but Hook looked way too relieved for any jokes to strike him. There was a series of heavy thumps behind them and turning they found the three Lost Boys had jumped recklessly out the window to join them.

"Missy's more stressed than usual, the twins are really acting up," the smallest one noted, peering around them into the open front door

"Well we shan't bother her then," Hook said. "You can help us."

"I dunno," the largest one drawled. Hook pulled out a ten dollar bill.

"Tell us about your neighbours," he commanded.

"The man and lady next door are from Untold," the middle one replied his eyes on the money. "They have a lot of secrets."

"Why do you say that?" David asked.

"They won't let any of us near the their house, not even the sidewalk. I lost my best ball over their fence yesterday," the smallest one complained.

"They never have any guests," the middle one added. "And they never make any noise."

"Not like the lady with the gold jewellery, she sings to herself. She has a pretty voice," the largest one said in a dreamy smitten tone.

"She's got a husband but we hardly see him. She's on her own mostly," the middle one said. "No one on the other side of us. We sneak into the house sometimes for a bit of quiet." Lost Boys searching for peace and quiet, their home really must be a mad house.

"What about across the way," Hook nodded. The boys exchanged glances and went quiet.

"You mean the little flat," the largest one said. "There's two men and a lady who are always coming and going there. You ever get them all there at the same time."

"Why's that?" David asked.

"Don't know," the smallest one shrugged. "But we snuck over once to have a look see and the lady caught us. She was proper scary, said she'd slit our throats if she caught us round there again."

"And we believe her," the middle one added.

"Alright lads," Hook said, he flicked his thumb and revealed that the bill was actually three bills. The boys lunged forward and grabbed one each, delight on their faces. "Keep an eye on that little flat, _from a_ _distance_ mind. If anything happens come find us and they'll be more of that for you." The three boys nodded enthusiastically. "Alright, take the little one from his Highness and go help your guardian with whatever crisis is occurring." he commanded. The largest boy held his arms out for the toddler with surprising obedience and David handed him over reluctantly.

"So now we know all that, how do we figure out who the target is or if they even are a target?" Hook asked as they walked back to the car.

"Maybe we can't, we're not really setup for modern investigating. It's not like we can do a background check," David sighed.

"What's that?"

"It's a check on a person's history. You use the computer, it tells you where they're from, their job, any previous arrests. That sort of thing," David explained. Hook looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Maybe _we_ can't do that," he said, a slow smirk appearing on his face. "But we know a boy who can."

….

"I don't know," Henry said with a deep frown. "Violet thinks it's wrong to write down people's secrets when they don't know I'm doing it." Ordinarily David would have agreed, but his gut was screaming that something really wrong was going on and when something was going wrong in Storybrooke it generally blew up in his family's face.

"It's not like you'll be intruding into people's secrets," Hook corrected "We're just asking for a background check. A focused summary, like you did for the lost souls in the Underworld." Henry didn't stop frowning.

"Henry, you know we wouldn't ask unless we thought it was important," David added. "These guys are up to something and we think someone might be in danger. We can't protect them unless we work out who it is."

Henry's eyes bore into his two remaining father figures. He knew they didn't mean to manipulate him, they just didn't see the problems with using his Author powers like he did. He worried everyday he'd spiral into selfishness and arrogance just like Isaac, just like he'd nearly done just a couple of weeks ago in New York. He'd been so close to destroying everyone he loved instead of saving them and he hadn't even realised until it was almost too late. If he did this favour for them, would they come back asking for more? Would everyone in town start asking to know each other's secrets or ask him to fix things with the magic pen and ink instead of working them through themselves?

Hook and David both had open sincere faces and their concern seemed legitimate. If he said no and then something did happen that they could have prevented? How would he feel then? He opened his mouth and both their faces fell a little bit already anticipating his refusal. He saw them mentally backing off, ready to accept his choice and that made the decision for him.

"Okay, but I'll be the one to read them and tell you the important bits," he said firmly.

"Aye lad, we'd be grateful for anything," Hook said.

"Thank you Henry," his grandfather smiled.

"I've seen Missy picking up Jared and Marcus from school so I'll start with her," he said. The grown men both nodded encouragingly. Henry dipped the magic pen in the ink and opened the large book on the table. Black filigree writing appeared on the page as the author concentrated on the woman he'd seen a few times after school.

"She has lots of children," he said as the pen slowed and the writing tapered out.

"Yes, that we knew," Hook said.

"That's kind of her whole life," Henry shrugged. "Looking after all these kids. She really doesn't have time for anything else. I don't now why she took in some of the Lost Boys, she was already having trouble looking after her own children."

"Anything before the children?" David asked.

"She fell in love but he left her when she got pregnant," Henry said frowning at the page. "That was ages ago, back in the old world."

"Ok, what about the lady in number 80?" David asked. The pen started flowing over the page again.

"She had a husband before but he died and then a man from another land saved her from a fire…," Henry paused, his eyes skating over the text he'd written. "He took her on a grand adventure and they fell in love, but when they got home…."

"He's left her alone to run off and have more adventures on his own," Hook guessed.

"These are sad stories," Henry moaned. "Where did you go the Boulevard of Broken Dreams?" disappointment and heartbreak rang in his young voice. Hook had never mentioned it but he felt it extremely unfair that so young and relatively naive a boy had been weighed down with the power and responsibilities of being the author. He patted the boy on the hand.

"Only due to the angle we're looking at them from lad. One thing I've learned in all my years, is that there is always another angle. Two people can look at the same scene and see something completely different," he said reassuringly. Henry's forehead creased as he thought that through and then he dipped his pen in the ink one more time. The nib scratched against the paper, moving faster and faster and this time a bright golden illustration burst into life on the adjacent page.

"Whoa," Henry said. David and Hook had to fight to keep from leaning over the boy's head as he read what he had written. "The other guy you mentioned, the one from Untold Story? He _murdered_ a bunch of people," the author exclaimed. David hand fell onto the book obscuring the rest of the writing.

"Let us read this one then," he demanded. Henry opened his mouth immediately looking angry. "I know how grown up you are," David continued before he could say anything. "But that doesn't mean you have to be exposed to all the evil out there. You are still my grandson. Let me shoulder some of it."

So, David felt as he did then, Hook thought, feeling his bond with the other man grow stronger. Henry reluctantly let go of the book and David swung the large tome around so Hook and he could study it properly.

"He's Ali Baba," David gasped.

"Another story of this realm I take it?" Hook asked them.

"Yeah and a famous one, this summary looks pretty close to the story I know. He discovers a thieves' hideout and steals some of their gold. When the thieves find out they plot to kill him but his wife discovers them and…" David stopped reading and his eyes flicked to Henry who glared back and crossed his arms defiantly.

"I read that bit already," he pointed out.

"I didn't, what happened?" Hook demanded.

"The thieves were hiding in oil jars and Ali Baba and his wife poured boiling oil on them and killed them," David said.

"Right," Hook said as if that was an unsurprising thing to have happened. " And then they went and claimed all the treasure for themselves I take it."

"There are a couple other gruesome bits, but yes," David replied. Hook pulled the story book closer and read over the passage himself wincing at a couple of points.

"His wife is certainly a force to be reckoned with," he said appreciatively. "So let us assume Mr Ali Baba and his impressive riches are the target of our unlucky baker and his mysterious friends." He waved his hand over the piles of gold in the illustration. A younger version of the man they'd met in the middle house was drawn in the middle of the image, gazing about at the treasure in wonder. Just visible in one dark corner, and easy to miss, was a pair of eyes watching him.

"I have a question," Henry spoke up. "He got a happy ending right? No matter how he got it, he got the treasure and defeated the thieves. So, why did he end up in Untold Story?"

"I have an answer for your question," Hook said. He pointed to the story Henry had just written. "It says here he now lives as a recluse, just him and his wife in that nice big house and we know he won't let anyone come near it…. He is protecting his treasure. Hoarding it."

"But what's the point of treasure if you don't use it for anything?" David asked.

"I'm with you Mate," Hook replied. "But see that's the rub. Murder and steal to collect great treasure from others and spend the rest of your life worrying someone will come along and do the same to you."

"So not worth it?"

"Somehow you rarely think of that at the time," the pirate sighed thinking back over his own less than honourable exploits.

"So, what are you going to do now? Warn Mr Baba?" Henry asked, shutting his book with a snap and pulling it out of David's hands. David would have protested, knowing the boy would run off and read the rest of Ali Baba's story the second he left them, but his grandson was saved by the bell, or at least the ringing chirp from the cell phone in his pocket.

"Hello, David Nolan," he said, giving Henry a stern look that was undermined by a pirate chuckle next to him.

"Y..your High..Highness?" a nervous voice stammered.

"Owen," David said getting Hook's attention.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything when I saw you before," the blacksmith said. "I...I was scared. But I've been thinking about what you said and I don't think I can keep doing this."

"Doing what?" David asked.

"I didn't want anything like this to happen in the first place. I'm not a bad person," the young man wailed down the phone.

"I known that Owen," David soothed. "We'll help you. Tell me where you are?"

"What? Oh I'm in my workshop," Smith answered. "I should have known something awful would happen but I needed the money." As he spoke David motioned to Hook that they had to get moving. They each gave Henry a grateful pat goodbye, Hook also stopping to say a few words as David tried to calm the man on the phone. Then they were jogging out to David's new car.

"Owen, Owen, slow down," David was saying. "What happened?"

"She wasn't supposed to be there," Smith moaned. "We were so sure the house was empty, but then she did something and-" There was a sound like breaking glass down the phone.

"Owen, what was that?"

"I...I don't know...No. No! I'm sorry. It wasn't me who did it," the blacksmith sounded terrified, the sound of his voice drifting as if he'd moved a short distance from the phone at his end.

"Do not lie to me!" Ali Baba's voice was so loud Hook had no trouble hearing it across David's car. The two investigators had matching faces of panic as David put the phone on speaker and handed it to Hook before turning the ignition. The pirate pulled out his own phone as they heard the sound of objects falling and breaking, punctuating the whimpering noises of denial Smith was making.

"Give back what you took from me,' Ali Baba demanded.

"I don't have it I swear," Owen begged.

"Emma, it's Killian," Hook spoke quickly into his own phone. "The blacksmith is being attacked at his workshop right now... We're listening to it on the bloody phone he's-"

David's phone fell silent. Hook ignored Emma's questions echoing from his own device as he held up the prince's for him to check the screen.

"It's still connected," David said grimly and sped up.

….

It took them nineteen minutes to get to the blacksmith forge. Producing a lot of heat and smoke when in use, Smith had set up his shop in a farmhouse just outside the town. The car slid on the loose grit on the driveway as David slammed on the breaks and he and Hook jumped out.

"No sign of anyone," Hook noted. David pulled out his gun and Hook yanked his sword out from its place in the back seat.

"The workshop is around the side I think," David said nodding to where a chimney could be seen poking out of some outbuildings.

It must have taken them less than a minute to reach the building that housed the forge but there was so many small structures and hiding places on the way that the two investigators had been forced to be cautious and proceed much slower than they would have preferred. A feeling made more acute when they discovered Owen Smith lying dead on his workbench with a dagger sticking out of his chest.

…..

 **Author's note** : I hope this chapter wasn't too boring, but this is a detective story so there needs to be some investigating and not everything you learn will be useful. Plenty of references in this one, I'm sure you got most of them but full disclaimers at the end of the fic.

Thank you for reading. Please leave me a review and let me know how it's going. I really look forward to them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:** This one has a lot more action and laughs in it (I hope). Also, warning for some minor swearing ahead. Enjoy.

...

 **Chapter three**

David and Hook sat side by side on a low brick wall that ran around a small paddock next to the forge. Through the open door to the workshop they could see Emma and Mulan taking notes and talking back and forth. They could also see Smith's legs hanging over the edge of the table. One of his shoes had fallen off displaying the hole he had in his sock. David couldn't take his eyes off it.

"This is not your fault Mate," Hook said definitively into his ear. David shook his head, not clear if he was agreeing or disagreeing with the pirate.

"He called me for help," David said bitterly.

"Aye, when we were across town. He could have asked when you were stood right in front of him," Hook pointed out. David sighed and nodded but the doubts and guilt still bounced around his head. Should he have pushed harder to get the young man to open up? Did he drive fast enough? Should he have told Owen to leave before Ali Baba arrived?

"Hey Dad. Did you guys move these things?" Emma called out. The two investigators got up and moved to the doorway, neither of them stepping inside. Emma was pointing to some overturned boxes of scrap metal and tools.

"We only checked to see if he was still alive," David said. "Ali Baba must knocked them over in the attack."

"I don't think so," Mulan said waving her hand at the other side of the room. "That's the sort of damage I'd expect from things just getting knocked into." She turned back to the boxes Emma had pointed to. "These aren't broken more like emptied, see how the things are spread all over? Like someone threw them around."

"He said he wanted something Owen took from him, maybe he tried looking for it?" David suggested.

"You're sure it was this Ali Baba?" Mulan asked.

"We only spoke to him briefly, but we recognised his voice clear enough," Hook said. "We were also starting to suspect the blacksmith, the baker and some other woman were planning to rob him of his treasure. It would appear quite possible that they already made off with the goods."

"But it doesn't make sense," David muttered. "When did they steal it? Right after we saw him at the flat? There wasn't a lot of time between us speaking to him and when he called and we know Ali Baba was in then anyway. If it was before that, why were they still watching the house?"

There were interrupted by the undertaker's van arriving. Emma gave her father a sympathetic pat on the arm as she left to show them where to go.

"Don't worry. We'll go pick up this Ali Baba and see what he has to say," Mulan said, her tone leaving no doubts about it. Not so long ago it would have been David making the firm statements to reassure the public. For the first time since leaving the Sheriff's Office he regretted his decision. He wanted to ride into action and take down the suspect, but if their places were reversed David knew he'd be furious with Mulan if she over stepped her bounds and got in his way. As if she knew what he was thinking she gave them both a sharp eye and flat unconvincing smile before she walked back over to the body to wait for Emma.

David sighed, his eyes falling into the half distance and refocusing on multiple sets of wrought iron candle holders standing neatly on the display shelves just inside the workshop.

"Owen made candlesticks?" he asked, as a crazy thought occurred to him.

"I would suppose so if there's a market for such items in Storybrooke. Why?" Hook asked. David's face split into a huge smile. Hook frowned in confusion as his partner turned to leave and dragged him along with him.

"Because, if we have a baker and a candlestick maker, we need to visit Bo Peep," he said triumphantly. Hook kept frowning even as he followed.

"That disagreeable woman you knew in the old world?" he asked.

"She's a butcher in this one," David grinned. "And she drives a white car."

…..

Bo Peep's shop was just as disturbing and menacing as the last time they'd been there, though the mental image of Owen Smith laid out like one of the rabbits in her window probably heightened the atmosphere.

"What?" Peep asked rudely flinging her knife at her cutting block as they entered.

"We just came to check you're OK," David said innocently. "You know after what happened to Owen Smith." Peep scoffed.

"What happened to Smith?" she asked, his name slipping out of her mouth with recognisable familiarity

"He was murdered," David said making sure the woman saw his eyes drift to her knife significantly. Peep stared open mouthed at them her eyes coasting over them looking for signs of a lie before following David's gaze to the knife.

"Are you suggesting-?"

"No, no, of course not," David said with false sincerity. Peep narrowed her eyes as spots of red appeared on her cheeks. Hook moved closer to David, just enough to add a little weight to the prince's presence.

"You're not the sheriff anymore, you can't do anything to me," she said snidely.

"I didn't come to do anything," David said holding his hands up. "I said, we got worried and came to check on you."

"Well I'm fine," the butcher replied suspiciously.

"So you did know him then? Smith?" David asked.

"Just through market. We're all trade so we know each other," she said.

"We all... being you, Owen and Baker?" David asked. Something flashed in Peep's eyes and her face went hard.

"Sure," she said noncommittally.

"It's terrible I know, when someone you know gets murdered," David continued.

"I didn't know him that well," she replied.

"It's just so senseless. What reason could someone have to do that to him?" he asked. Peep shrugged and rubbed her hands on her apron.

"Did he ever say anything to you? That he was in trouble or had done something he shouldn't have? If you're mixed up in it too you might be in danger, especially if it's something to do with these people from Untold Story. Who knows what they're capable of?" David said, his voice dripping in condescending concern. "Maybe you should get yourself some sort of protection before he tries something?"

"That Ali Baba can try what he wants. I have all the protection I need here," Peep said, picking up her knife and holding it up.

"Sorry," David asked. "Who's Ali Baba?"

It was comical how still Bo Peep went as she glared straight at David. It was like one of the gods had pressed pause on the universe. Then she threw the knife and everything flew into action again.

David managed to dive out the way as Peep's throw was more distractionary than targeted. He looked up to see her dart through the door to her back room. Hook grabbed his arm pulling up and checking he was alright but he waved the pirate off and told him to get after her.

Being on the far side of the shop Hook took an agonising three steps to reach the other room by which time David was up and at his back so he found himself forced to dodge again as a metal bar came swinging around the door frame. Hook turned just in time and took the brunt of the swing on his back somehow managing to twist and slide his hook around the shaft, pulling down so it clattered to the floor.

The back room was larger than the shop front but was taken up by large steel tables which looked surprisingly clean and hygienic. Peep was snarling at them from the side of the room pacing backwards as they came forward and darting to the side so the large tables were between them. She pulled a cleaver from the wall and raised it above her head, but the move was a fake. Instead of throwing the weapon she thrust her entire weight against the tables sending them flying into them. Too late to react they felt the cold hard metal slam into them and push them back.

"Bloody hell, that woman is strong," Hook hissed as he struggled to free himself from where the table had pinned him to a refrigerator. He heard a slam and looked up in time to see the back door swinging shut again, the woman in question nowhere in sight.

"Bugger," Hook cursed as he finally got enough leverage to push the heavy tables away. "She'll be long gone now. You alright Dave? Dave?"

Hook panicked as he realised the space next to him where his partner should have been was empty. Then there was a familiar groan and a vaguely David shaped blob of something horrifically oily and smelly climbed out of the large rubbish bin next to the refrigerator.

"No," said the blob.

….

"Hold up mate," Hook said, his hand in front of David's chest stopping him from stepping down from the gangway onto the Jolly Roger's deck.

"What?" David asked.

"What do you think what? You're not coming on board like that, you'll muddy up my deck, " Hook replied using just one finger to prod David back so he was fully back on the gangplank and half a foot from the wood of the Jolly.

"What? Hook, you're not serious?" David exclaimed.

"I'm deadly serious and so's he," Hook said his eyebrow raised.

"Who?" David asked blaming his tiredness for his stupidness, thankfully Hook didn't add to his embarrassment by answering. Unfortunately, Mill Wheels was still learning the subtleties of human interaction. He gave a low growl from where he was lounging on one of the yards holding the sails above them. David turned his head up and gave the giant dog a big friendly smile. "Hey Mill Wheels," he greeted. "Come on, we're friends right? You wouldn't send me off like this?" he pleaded pointing to his ruined clothes and various bits of rubbish still clinging to him despite his best efforts to get rid of it.

"I just finished swabbing the decks," the dog replied without a hint of irony. "I'm on my break now."

"What do you expect me to do?" David asked the pirates.

"If only we had a seemingly endless body of water nearby," Hook sighed over dramatically.

"I'm not jumping in the ocean," David growled.

"You're not coming on board then," Hook replied, a gruff bark from the mass of grey fur relaxing above them backing him up.

….

"Hold on you're not coming in like that," Snow said sharply. "What even is that?" she asked, her nose crinkled up in disgust.

"Not you too," David said walking past his wife into his home and straight across the room to the bathroom.

"Hook wouldn't let you on the Jolly?" Snow asked, her blatant amusement earning a loud huff through the bathroom door. "I guess you're lucky I love you more than he does," she teased, leaning against the partitioning wall.

She hadn't hidden her surprise when her husband told her about his new line of work and who he was partnering himself with for that work. She had spent a night running over all their interactions trying to find the moment her husband had finally let go of his distrust surrounding the pirate. She'd ended up calling herself a fool and realising if it hadn't been her own husband she'd have called out their budding relationship months ago. She'd been dealing with a ridiculous amount of jealousy and insecurity since. The door popped open and her now undressed husband leaned out.

"I know how lucky I am," he said sincerely. Yes, she knew she was being ridiculous. It wasn't like she thought Hook and David were going to run off together into the night, but David had never really had any friends before so she'd never had to share him with anyone outside Emma and Neal, which wasn't really sharing. She smiled warmly, her husband's bare chest and glimpse of upper thigh almost distracting her from the whatever it was stuck in his hair, but not quite.

"If you can't get rid of the smell you're sleeping on the couch," she told him.

"And this is what they call true love," he moaned, the sound of the shower starting drowning out the rest of his grumbling and Snow laughing.

….

"Yeah, Killian we'll keep an eye out for her. You're both OK right?" Emma asked into her phone, knowing she was repeating herself. Hook's laugh as he reassured her wasn't totally encouraging but she said goodbye and quickly climbed out of the sedan to join her sheriff.

"They're fine," she said to Mulan. "They got into a random fight _again_ but they're fine." Mulan raised an eyebrow in a way that suggested she wasn't as surprised as Emma at the trouble the two men had got into.

"At least we know who the mystery third woman is," she said. "Come on, one problem at a time." They looked up at Ali Baba's large sandy coloured house checking for any signs of life. The place was as still and silent as the grave. Mulan marched up to the door and knocked smartly on the wood.

"He's not there," said a voice.

"He went out," said another.

"He had a really cool sword," came the third pronouncement.

The two women turned in surprise and saw a three pairs of eyes above a row of three noses peering at them over a fence.

"Oh yes?" Emma asked. "When was that?"

"While ago," one pair of eyes said bobbing up and down in what was probably a shrug.

"An hour ago or a minute ago?" Emma asked. The three sets of eyes looked at each other and disappeared behind the fence. Emma and Mulan crept closer to the fence and could hear a harsh whispering through the cracks of the wood.

"She's the one who brought us here, saved us from Pan," one hissed.

"So? The Captain paid us, I bet she has money too," the second voice said.

"I dunno It's not like we actually know anything," the third voice said. Emma grinned as she recognised the voices, Mulan didn't like the young voices or the look on her deputy's face.

"Ha!" Emma yelled and hit the fence with both hands, a tiny pop of magic adding more shaking to the boards. A chorus of yells sounded on the other side. Emma stood and leaned one elbow on the fence looking down smugly at the startled Lost Boys.

"That was a good trick," the smallest one said.

"You got us good," the middle one smiled.

"I guess we can tell you some stuff," the largest one said.

"Start with what time Mr Ali Baba left," Emma said.

"He left just after two, like _hours_ ago," the smallest one said. "We know cuz that's when the twins go down for their nap."

"He was digging in the garden before that," the largest one added. "He seemed really angry."

"He _swore,"_ the middle one said his eyes wide with pleasure.

"You hear what he was angry about?" Emma asked. The boys exchanged glances. "I won't tell on you for saying," she reassured them.

"He said _those bastards_ ," the smallest one announced. Emma winced.

"He kept saying it over and over and that he was going to get them, " the middle one explained.

"He said they stole from him and then he walked out the house with this huge sword," the largest one said.

"OK boys, thanks," Emma smiled. "Good work." The three boys looked pleased with the praise and ran off into the next door house.

"You were really good with them," Mulan said. "I'm terrible with children."

"I used to think that too until I suddenly had one," Emma replied. "Come on I think we can jump this gate to get round to the back."

At first glance it looked like a typical low maintenance garden. There was a large patio and a rockery and more of the large ceramic pots that decorated the front.

"I know next to nothing about gardening," Mulan said stopping at the far end of the patio. "But does that look more like a grave than a flower bed to you?"

In front of her was a patch of grass with a vaguely oblong pile of dirt lying near the edge of it. It looked freshly dug and had a mixture of stones and gravel mixed in, like it was earth directly from the ground not a bought compost.

"Yes. Yes it does," Emma said grimly. "I'll call Dr Whale."

"Isn't he the emergency doctor at the hospital? Shouldn't we call someone more appropriate?" the new sheriff asked in surprise.

"Don't worry he's got plenty of experience with... exhumation," Emma said. Mulan saw a familiar small teasing smile appear on the other woman's face.

"This is going to end up as another book on my reading list isn't it?" she sighed. Emma nodded.

…..

"Now _this_ is what a prince is supposed to look like. All clean and smart," Hook laughed. It had been over an hour since David's shower and Snow had suggested a walk along the dock to check in with the pirate and see if the evening sea breeze couldn't blow away some of the lingering garbage smell. The Captain didn't stand as David and Snow climbed onto the Jolly Roger, Neal safely tucked into his mother's arms, but he waved them onboard before they had to ask.

When David had once questioned why he had to ask permission to come aboard every time he came by, he had been sharply asked how he would feel if Hook let himself into the loft whenever he liked without telling him. Since then David had treated Hook's ship with the reverence she deserved, understanding she would always be a home to the pirate even though he now shared a house with Emma.

"It's only a shame he still doesn't smell like one," Snow lamented, sharing a smile with Hook which David did his best to ignore.

Hook had set up a barrel and a couple of stools on the deck and seemed to be having a lovely time relaxing in the dying evening sunlight. He kicked a crate closer to the barrel and gave David the nod to make himself comfortable, leaving the stool for Snow. Always the gentleman, David thought sardonically as he dropped tiredly down. Snow reshuffled a fast asleep Neal in her arms and shook her head when Hook offered her his flask.

"Where's Mill Wheels?" David asked looking around for the large crew member as he took a sip of rum and handed the flask back to Hook.

"He has a support group meeting," Hook replied relaxing back again now his guests were seen to.

"Support group?" Snow asked. She didn't know Mill Wheels very well but the animal had always seemed very genuine, she hated the thought that he might be suffering in any way.

"Yes, something to do with being magically imprisoned and controlled," Hook said looking slightly uncomfortable. Mill Wheels was still technically bound to the tinderbox the Captain had hidden in his cabin, even though Hook never used it to magically command him. "That man from Regina's mirror set it up."

"Maybe you should go?" Snow suggested. The cold hard look on Hook's face silenced any further discussion on that particular subject.

"Emma and Mulan haven't been able to track down Ali Baba yet," David said changing the topic.

"You spoke to them?" Hook asked.

"Yeah after Whale pulled a body out of his garden. Mrs Fogg ID-ed her as Ali's wife. Looks like she hit her head. Whale said he'd tell us more after the post mortem," David replied. Hook crinkled his nose up in distaste, not used to the idea of investigating dead bodies, then he noticed David watching him expectantly.

"I don't know about you Mate, but I'm bone tired," Hook said guessing what the prince wanted. "We _will_ help in the hunt for Ali Baba and Peep, but I have no clues where to start. So, may I suggest we don't waste this quiet moment to sip my rum and watch the sunset with a beautiful lady," Snow got a wink she shook her head at in exasperation.

"Just like that? You expect the answer to fall in your lap?" David asked in annoyance.

"There is no harm to taking a moment to regroup and rethink the problem. Just like this," Hook replied. He leaned his elbows on the barrel and sipped his flask through his smile.

"Enjoying your ill gotten gains?" A deep voice growled.

"Well I am a pirate," Hook said automatically into his rum before Snow's gasp of fear filtered into his brain. Ali Baba was stood at the top of the gangway glaring daggers at their small group, a large curved scimitar in one hand and a gun in the other. The gun floated between them all before coming to rest pointing at Snow and Neal. Charming was on his feet in an instant, shielding his wife and child even as Snow begged him not to.

"You will give back what you stole from me," the enraged man yelled, stepping solidly onto the deck, his arm fixed with the gun up.

"What the Devil are you on about?" Hook growled. "We aren't the ones who robbed you."

He scanned the man threatening his friend and recognised the look of someone prepared to do anything to achieve what he wanted. It gave him a cold shiver of fear. He was too far away for a jump attack, he'd pull the trigger before Hook got within a foot and with Snow holding baby Neal in the possible line of fire they couldn't risk that. He glanced at the gun secured at David's hip as the prince's hand twitched in its direction, Ali Baba also saw the move and pulled back the safety on his gun, the click ringing out across the ship like an axe falling. David quickly held his hands up in surrender.

"I saw you conspiring with those people across the road. The fools," Ali Baba spat. "Do they think I don't have eyes? That I haven't seen them watching me for weeks?"

"We weren't conspiring Mate, we are actually investigating them," Hook said through gritted teeth.

"What?" Ali bit out.

"Yeah, that's what we do. The Baker's neighbour wanted us to find out what he's been up to," David explained.

"Aye, we're Pirate Investigations," Hook declared and instantly closed his eyes as if he'd physically hurt himself. David felt an internal flash of victory, he wasn't going to let his partner forget this, he just had to get the crazy murderer away from his wife and child first.

"I am not interested in anything you have to say," Ali Baba dismissed. "The only thing I want is my gold." David and Hook exchanged a glance. So, the terrible trio had definitely managed to steal some of Ali Baba's treasure.

"We don't know where is it," David said slowly, knowing the angry man was not going to be happy about it. "We didn't even know for sure that they'd managed to take any from you."

"They?" he demanded.

"I thought you said you saw them?" Hook asked. A movement on the railing of the upper deck caught his eye and he moved away from Snow and David towards the prow keeping Ali Baba's eyes focused away from the shadow that was silently creeping up on him.

"I saw that they were there, I only recognised that blacksmith's face when he was talking to you two. The woman was especially good at hiding her features," Ali Baba answered. "If you will not tell me where my gold is, tell me where I can find _them_."

"Ask him," Hook said, pointing with his chin behind the gun toting man. Ali Baba scoffed, ridiculing the pirate's attempt to trick him. Then he felt a warm puff of breath on the back of his neck. Spinning around he froze in terror as a huge monster opened its jaws and slowly licked every one of its sharp pointed teeth. The thief dropped his weapons in shock and reeled back straight into David who quickly restrained him.

"Bloody hell," Hook breathed. "You certainly earned your pay today Mill Wheels."

"I was only gone an hour Captain," the dog frowned, wondering how two human men were able to get into so much trouble.

"What is that?" Ali Baba demanded. David tightened his grip but otherwise ignored the question.

"Call Emma," he said.

"Already did," Snow replied showing him the phone clutched in her hand. A few moments later there was a crunch of tires on the dockside and Emma and Mulan ran onto the ship.

….

 **Author's note:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter a bit more than the last one. I didn't actually like Bo Peep in the show I hope she came out OK. One more chapter and then the author's notes, so you should have all your answers soon(ish). Thank you for reading, please leave me a review. I'm desperate to know what you all think.


	4. Chapter 4

...

 **Chapter four**

"Hey I get it. I do," Emma said earnestly as she stood against the wall of the interrogation room. "You came here just looking for your happy ending and other people's greed and selfishness took that from you. After everything this town has thrown at me? Trust me, I get it."

Ali Baba's face remained impassive, fixed on a random empty spot on the table he was handcuffed to.

"Just tell us your side of it. What happened?" Emma tried again an edge of impatience creeping into her voice. If she wasn't able see his chest moving as he breathed she'd have thought he was under a freezing spell.

The door to the small interrogation room opened and Mulan walked in and gave Emma a nod that she'd take over for a bit. Emma frowned at the silent man and then the sheriff, very reluctant to admit defeat. Mulan then gave her a tiny head tilt towards the one way window, her face becoming slightly pinched. Ah, Emma realised, less about her ability with the suspected murderer than Mulan's trouble with the men outside.

Stepping out she nearly walked into her father who was pacing back and forth like a tiger in a cage. He waved his hand in apology and turned back to walk in front of the glass again. Hook waggled his eyebrows at her smirking at full power as David passed where the pirate was leaning against the window and she walked over to stand next to him.

"How long has he been doing that?" she asked quietly.

"Since you went in there," Hook whispered. "I think he is feeling frustrated that it is no longer his place to conduct such interviews."

"I can hear you," David said, not willing to admit how insightful his partner had been. "And I'm fine. I just wish he'd talk."

"Okay, I have some pieces of paper here," Mulan's voice said out of the intercom. They all turned to the window to see her pull out some A4 paper stapled at one corner. "I need you to read through it and sign it. If you refuse I'll sign it for you." she spoke flatly and matter of factly and the contrast to Emma's earnest cajoling earned the warrior a twinge of Ali Baba's eyebrow. She pushed the paper into his eyeline and waited for a response.

"So you're not going to read it? Then I'll read it to you." Mulan said when the man didn't move and brought the paper back in front of her. "I, Mr Ali Baba, formerly resident of the Land of Untold Stories, have been arrested and charged with the murder of Mr Owen Smith and the attempted assault and murder of Her Majesty Queen Snow White also known as Mrs Mary Margaret Nolan, Mr David Nolan also known as His Royal Highness Prince James and -"

"I do not care," Ali Baba said, his voice gruff.

"And I don't care that you don't care. This is the protocol in this realm so it's going to get done," Mulan replied in a bored voice. "And Captain Killian Jones also known as Captain Hook. I am also under investigation for the murder of Mrs Morgiana Baba and when found guilty will-"

"I did not kill my wife," Ali Baba said his voice trembling with suppressed anger. "It was those bastards from across the road. I had grown suspicious of their watching devices and oddly regular times for coming and going. I realised they were watching _us_. My wife and I normally ensure we leave the house at the same time only very rarely. In my distraction I forgot she had plans in town. Why did I chose that afternoon to investigate their tawdry little flat?"

"You were breaking into their apartment at the exact same time they were breaking into your house? Is that what you're saying?" Mulan asked incredulously.

"My wife must have returned and discovered them. I watched…," his voice faltered as he relived the moment in his mind. "I watched through _their_ looking device as she fell...by the time I got back to the house she was already dead."

"You saw your wife dying but didn't see who killed her?" the sheriff asked not unkindly.

"Their backs were to the window," he replied. "I could see it was the same people who had been watching us. They must have fled immediately, they were gone when I got back to the house."

"From across the road?" Mulan clarified. "And after witnessing your wife get murdered by the people who had been watching you... you buried her yourself. In your garden." The man went back to staring at the table.

"OK, I believe you," Mulan said sincerely after a pause. She got out a pen. "I'll just change this part to failure to report a serious crime and desecration of a body." With a sweep of her pen she struck out two lines from the written statement. Ali Baba stared at her opened mouthed. Outside the room Hook chuckled.

"Bloody hell, that woman really is something. You best be careful Swan," he teased. David expected Emma to be offended or hurt but unlike him she didn't misunderstand and laughed along with the pirate.

"I know," she said. "No more taking stationery from the office for us. We'll have to buy our pens at the store like everyone else."

"-I could not tell anyone without revealing why those dogs were in my house," Ali Baba was complaining. "My wife would have understood and agreed." Mulan gave him a look that clearly stated she thought that was unlikely.

"You can drop the vagueness, I know about your treasure Mr Baba. In fact _we_ know about your treasure. Although that is something I am curious about, if you and your wife were so careful how did _those_ _bastards_ know about it?" Ali Baba frowned deeply at the table.

"I was arrogant, I believed coming to a new realm would be enough to protect us. But somehow every other person in this realm knows who I am and about my-." He cut himself off from saying the word out loud, still clinging to his shattered secrecy.

"Treasure," Mulan finished for him bluntly. Ali Baba glared at her, but the Sheriff acted like she didn't notice.

"You are the law here," Ali Baba said suddenly, as if he'd only just realised that fact. "You must find these curs and make them return what they've taken."

Hook tilted his head in surprise. That was an odd thing to say. Not _pay for their crimes,_ no _justice for my wife_ just _return what they've taken?_

"You weren't too concerned with my position in town when you failed to report what had happened and then went after Owen Smith yourself," Mulan said pointedly.

"I have already told you," Ali Baba hissed. "I did not want to involve others only to have them lust after my-."

"Treasure," Mulan said again. The man chained to the table actually growled. "It's a shame, if you had come to me we probably would have caught them by now and therefore you'd have your belongings returned to you. But you took things into your own hands so now we have no clues to follow and they'll get away with it."

"No!" he shouted the handcuffs rattling. "The man I killed, the blacksmith, was one of them. Before he died he admitted he was working with others, he tried to convince me that it was all their idea and doing. That they have hidden my treasure. You must discover who they are and force them to give it back. Those Pirate Investigators! They know their identities. Have you questioned them?"

For the first time David didn't enjoy hearing the still unofficial name of their agency spoken out loud. What was the raving man on about? Had he really just confessed to a murder in the hopes that it would help investigate a robbery?

"I can see this is important to you," Mulan said in a carefully constructed understatement. "What exactly did they take?"

"A bag of gold coins, several gems of varying size and a small golden statue of a bird," Ali Baba listed. Mulan's blank exterior cracked slightly in surprise at the detailed list.

"And this was your entire treasure?" she asked.

"No," the man replied with an irritated scoff. "Barely a fraction, but the amount is not the point."

Emma and David jumped as a string of cursing left the pirate standing next to them. Hook felt his blood boiling with fury. In all his years his passions had lain in love, no matter what riches he stole or what powers he held, it had all been in the name of the people he valued above all else, Liam and Milah and now Emma.

He never fooled himself into thinking that there weren't men who held little value for those they claimed to love. His early abandonment was enough proof of that. But to speak of it with such lack of any shame. How could this man announce that a small part of his treasure was more of a concern than his wife's murder? Was he even aware of what he was saying? Hook had slain better men for far less.

"You OK?" Emma asked her boyfriend. She got a stiff and unconvincing nod in reply. "I should go back in, you'll be alright out here?" Another nod.

"It's OK Emma, give him hell," her father said encouragingly. She gave them both a cautious look as she opened the door and went back into the small room.

David turned to the pirate hoping to get him to let out some of his anger now Emma was away from earshot. He found only empty space and the door back out to the main office swinging shut.

….

A little while later he found his partner stood outside. There was a slither of a gap between the sheriff's station and the next building through which you could make out the ocean. Hook was stood in front of it. Night had well and truly fallen and the pirate's dark clothes blended him into the shadows in a way that was effectively threatening.

"He say any more?" Hook asked as David walked up, he sounded calm though tension still cut through his tone. David noticed his fist open and close almost rhythmically, working off his energy. He hoped the idea he was about to suggest would help the Captain keep his temper in check.

"Nothing new," David said. Hook turned to face him.

"So what now then?" he asked.

"Emma and Mulan don't have enough to link in Baker so they're going to move on Peep and hope she squeals," David told Hook. "Not that they have a lot on her either. They are going to check out her house and then Baker's to see if she's there. I offered Pirate Investigations to check their shops to save time."

"Aye Mate, good idea. I'll head to the bakery you check out the butcher's shop," Hook agreed, his shoulders relaxing in relief at having something to do to help the situation.

"Sure. You be careful," David said. "Call if you find anything."

"You too Mate, both counts."

…

The bakery was as silent as the grave, after only a brief survey Hook could tell no one had been there in awhile. Cursing, the pirate pulled out his phone to call David but as he was raising the device to his ear a light flicked on in the window next to him. He stared in amazement at the lit desk lamp inside the closed shoe repairs and key cutting shop. A shadow danced across the window and Hook dived into the shelter of the doorway before he was seen. Leaning against the wood he strained to hear any movement inside the shop, nearly toppling over when the door opened as he leant against it.

His hook snagged the handle and kept it from swinging all the way open, allowing a small crack that he could peer through. Apart from the desk light all appeared as it should, the moving shadows seemed to have disappeared. Then he heard a whispering, it was too soft to make out any words but there was definitely more than one person inside the old man's shop. He heard a rustling and decided he didn't have time to play around with whoever was messing with their client.

He flung the door open with a yell expecting to catch whoever it was in the act. The room was empty. Hook growled in frustration, he was sure he'd heard someone, where the hell had they gone? Hiding behind the counter? He prowled around the shop, each dark corner revealing no one and only irritating him further. Then he noticed one of the shoemaker's tools was not in its carefully crafted slot on his workbench, resting on the middle of the work top instead. With a deep frown he strode over to double check it, and completely missed the open trap door in the floor until he fell through it.

...

The butcher's shop was exactly as they had left it. Peep apparently hadn't needed to come back after escaping them earlier. David pulled out his phone but stopped himself from ringing Emma just before his thumb mashed the icon. The shop had been a long shot and if she had found Peep she'd have called him already. She might be in the middle of arresting her right now and not need the distraction. He'd be patient and wait to hear from her or Mulan. He pressed the picture of Hook's face instead and listened to the phone ring out. If Hook hadn't remembered to charge it again he was going to kill him. He counted to ten and just before he could redial he heard a young voice behind him.

"Hey look it's the prince," said the voice.

"The Captain around?" asked another.

"We have news for him," said a third.

It was the Lost Boys from Ali Baba's road.

"No, you can talk to me though," David said. The boys looked doubtful. "My money's just as green as his," he said rolling his eyes.

"The scary lady is back at the little flat," the smallest boy said. "She's tearing up the place."

"Thanks," David said, thanking whatever power had sent him this bit of luck. "It's getting really late you should get home."

He made to jog back to his car but the boys moved to block his path and looked up at him expectantly. Rolling his eyes again, David pulled out his wallet and grabbed some notes, not wasting a second to check the values and pushing the bills into the largest boy's hands. They whooped in delight as he sped away. He'd regret not checking how much he'd just given away later.

…..

David heard Bo Peep before he saw her. The boys hadn't been wrong, the butcher was cursing and complaining loudly as she tore through the little flat, the sound of ripping material and breaking wood rattling around the night air. He quickly sent Emma a text to let her know where to find them and crept through the open door of the little garage flat, his gun out and his finger on the trigger.

It was a studio style room with a kitchenette in one corner and a sofa bed on the other. Although, it was difficult to appreciate as the apartment looked like a bomb had hit it. The cupboards were all hanging open the contents also opened and thrown around. The sofa was lying upside down with holes cut into the lining. Bo Peep was in the middle of the carnage on her hands and knees ripping up the carpet.

"That ginger bastard baker," she growled to herself. "If he runs off with my gold there won't be a rock in this entire realm he could hide under that'd stop me-"

"Lose something?" David asked. Peep spun around, a large knife in her hand but David pushed his gun into the centre of her vision and she dropped it to the ground with a scowl. He flicked his head towards the sofa and Peep grudgingly pulled herself up and sat down heavily on it without turning it the right way up. "A bag of coins, some gems and a bird statue was it?" David asked, feeling pleased when Peep looked surprised.

"How do you- I don't know what you're talking about," she said unconvincingly. David laughed, enjoying having one over on the cruel woman who'd bullied and threatened him and his mother for so long in the old world.

"Let me guess, your partner has double crossed you?" he asked. Peep crossed her arms and scowled harder. "Come on, I know most of it already and you're going to the cells either way."

"This is all that baker's fault," she spat bitterly. "The snivelling idiot, him _and_ Smith. I should have just done this whole thing on my own, but I needed people to watch the house when I couldn't be here."

David turned slightly so the window and the telescope they'd seen when they'd first followed Baker appeared at the edge of his vision, the sandy coloured house also visible through the glass.

"Ali Baba and his wife hardly ever went out at the same time," David said as the pieces started slotting together. "So you three took it in turns to watch the house waiting for your chance to break in."

"Smith had done a bit of work on their house," Peep continued. "Saw which room they didn't want him going near. Figured the safe must be in there."

"How did you know he'd have a safe at all?"

"He's _Ali Baba_ and living like they do? No work but plenty of nice things? Even if he weren't the guy from the story he'd still have something worth taking." She grinned in a way that was totally repellent.

"But you got caught in the act," David said continuing the story. Peep frowned again wondering how the shepherd turned prince knew so much.

"Yeah, the woman came back. Nearly took Baker's head off. She had some moves," the butcher said appreciatively. "Turned out to be a good thing though, overpowered her and got her to open the safe." Peep spoke like she'd done it on her own but David was pretty sure the thieves being three on one probably had more to do with it. "She did something though," Peep continued scowling again. "The stupid door started closing the second we were inside. We nearly got trapped. Only managed to grab a handful each."

"That why you killed her?" David asked.

"That was an accident," Peep declared hotly. "She was struggling and it was only a tap to get her to calm down. Her own fault she lost her balance. She hit the fire surround." David shook his head in disbelief of her lack of guilt.

"Why did you come back here after you robbed him, especially after _killing_ his wife? Why keep watching him?" he asked.

"You didn't see it," she said as her eyes glazed over. "I saw it with my own eyes and I don't believe it. I've never seen so much gold."

"So what? You were going to try again? To get more?" David asked. He hadn't thought her story was could get any worse.

"Why wouldn't it work again? Especially after Ali Baba didn't report his wife's death," she shrugged. "If Baker had managed to get rid of the evidence without attracting the attention of the whole town, we'd have been in the clear."

"The bakery," David realised.

"Yeah," Peep sneered. "I thought, he can manage that, it's just some blood stained overalls, how hard can that be? Apparently they were fire retardant so he poured lighter fluid on them and threw them in his coal fire. Then the whole place went up." She rolled her eyes not one scrap of sympathy anywhere in them.

"Even then you were planning to try again?"

"Ali Baba still didn't know it was us," she shrugged again.

"He did know it was you!" David exclaimed. "He was over here the same day you were over there."

"What? How could he have-?" Peep mumbled.

"Because he has eyes? We only saw Baker here for five minutes and we figured it out," David said in exasperation.

"But he-"

"He didn't see your faces, not until he saw us talking to Owen," he said bitterly. "But as soon as he did he went to Owen's workshop and stabbed him through the heart, but not before he made him tell him he was working with others."

Peep's overconfidence finally dissolved and she looked scared. Her face looked really odd, the woman somehow looking older and frailer and David realised he'd never seen her without her suffocating air of smugness before.

"Does he know it was me?" she asked.

"No. But he will when you're sitting in the cell next door to him," Emma said from the doorway.

"How much did you hear?" David said, relieved to see his daughter.

"Just the end," Emma replied.

"It's a good thing I recorded it all then," David said holding up his phone so she could see the recording app.

Peep snarled and leapt off the couch towards him but Emma was ready with a blinding flash that threw her back into the seat where she slumped unconscious.

"Oh, crap. Now we have to carry her. I need to work on that," Emma said flexing her fingers. David checked her pulse and it was strong and steady, her breathing also clear and regular.

"We could wait for her to wake up?" he suggested. "Though she's properly implicated Baker in all this if want to go pick him up too."

"He wasn't at his house," Emma said. "Hook see him at the bakery?"

"I haven't heard from him yet," David said, frowning as he noticed how much time had passed since he last spoke to his partner. He exchanged a worried look with Emma and quickly dialled the pirate feeling his sense of dread build with each unanswered ring.

….

The sharp ache and burn radiating from his head to his upper back was the first thing he became aware of as Hook slowly swam back into consciousness. Bloody hell, if he'd ruined another jacket Swan would never let him live it down. He shifted his arms and legs satisfied that he hadn't broken anything. Leaning back he could see the light from the desk lamp that had sent him in here through the square hole of the open hatch above him. The yellow light shone down on him but did very little to illuminate the rest of the space he had fallen into. He could just make out piles of boxes and rough concrete walls. Some sort of storage basement then.

He had, thankfully, landed on some canvas bags, which had undoubtedly helped him escape serious injury. With a groan he levered himself up, rubbing his head. Unfortunately whatever was in the bags wasn't pillows, he heard the items shift under him as he sat upright and groaned again. Something scurried between some boxes to his right.

Turning suddenly caused his head to remind him he'd just been knocked unconscious and he had to blink and steady himself for a long vulnerable moment before the world stopped spinning. Another something ran on tiny light feet from his left around to join the one on his right. He was pretty sure he spotted the small figure of a person in the shadows. A person only five inches high.

"Great, bloody brownies" he grumbled.

"Excuse me sir," a tiny but very offended voice said. "We are elves, not brownies."

"My apologies sir," Hook said formally in reply. "But it is rather dark in here, please forgive me for mistaking." His manners appeared to have bought him some trust as two small faces appeared out of the gloom. They appeared to be one male and one female with little round faces with pointed noses and ears. They were wearing clothes that looked like they had been cobbled together from various random scraps of material. In fact, considering the circumstances, that is exactly what they were.

"You're the ones moving around the old man's affects upstairs aren't you?" Hook asked. The elves gave each other a panicked look.

"We never touched the customer's things or any of the stock, just the scraps he was throwing away," the male elf said desperately.

"We're not thieves, but when we reached here from the Land of Untold Stories we had nothing…." The female started to explain. Hook held up his hand to calm them down. Though their voices weren't that loud they were shrill and Hook's head rebelled against listening to them as they shouted up to him. He brought his hand to his eyes and attempted to massage the lingering ache away.

"Are you alright?" the female asked. "You fell very hard."

"I believe I will fine, thank you for your concern mi'lady," Hook said with a crooked smile. The little elf blushed.

Blinking his eyes into focus Hook managed to discern more shapes out of the darkness and found himself looking at a tiny house made of pieces of wood and cardboard and unidentifiable pieces of twisted metal. It was otherwise a very serviceable replica of a full size home and with a lick of paint would probably be indistinguishable, apart from the scale of course.

"Did you make that?" Hook asked. "And your clothes?" The elves nodded and very good idea formed in Hook's aching head. "It is fine work sir, madam. You know, I think if we explain things to the gentleman who owns this shop and allow him a little time to grow accustomed to the idea… you might stay here in exchange for working upstairs. I hear he could do with the help."

"You really think he will accept us?" the male elf asked. The two little faces lit up with excitement and Hook couldn't help smiling back down at them.

"When he sees the quality of your work down here? He'd be a fool not to. I can help mediate," Hook assured them. "However, the more immediate question is how do I get out of here?" he asked, finally getting up on two feet and thankfully finding the world didn't feel the need to spin about.

"There's a ladder attached to the trap door. You hit your head on it on the way down," the male elf answered helpfully.

"Ah yes I see it now," Hook sighed.

As he closed the door in the floor behind him he heard the latch click shut on the other side and wondered for the first time how the tiny people were managing to open and shut the trapdoor on their own. Dismissing the question for later he pulled out his phone. Three missed calls from David and one from Emma. Hook decided it was best not to over analyse it and pushed the icon for his partner.

"Dave….Yes…. Yes apologies, I managed to knock myself unconscious…. No no, I'm alright. Actually, I'm better than that, I solved our case. The one we got hired for... Is Emma with you?... Where should I meet you?"

He left the shoe repair shop by the back door, stopping in the dark of the doorway as he listened to David explain everything he had found out. Just as his partner was explaining that the baker had managed to double cross Peep and steal all the treasure they'd stolen for himself, the backdoor to the bakery opposite him popped open and the man in question stumbled out, a heavy looking holdall clutched in his hands.

"Bloody hell," Hook said in surprise. Baker froze for a split second and then ran like Cerberus was nipping at his heels. Hook cursed loudly. "He's here! He's running towards the sheriff's station," he yelled into the phone and set off in pursuit.

…

Baker was amazed that he'd given the pirate the slip. There must have been something wrong with him as the baker had noticed him stop and hold his head and had used the opportunity to put on more speed and change direction. He'd have thought the gods were on his side if he hadn't gotten lost and ended up behind the docks.

He jerked around in panic as he heard angry shouts from more than one voice. They sounded a lot closer than he'd hoped, but as he tried to pinpoint their direction he got confused by the sounds bouncing off the tall warehouses around him. In desperation he turned in the only direction he knew his pursuers wouldn't be, towards the water.

The handles of the holdall cut into his palms and he pulled the bag up to his chest. He was so close. He could make it. He may have been a fool for buying Peep's lies about how easy a job it would be stealing from Ali Baba, joining forces with the vile woman even after she killed Ali's wife, but he'd got the last laugh. She had thought so little of him, it had never occurred to her that he'd take all the treasure for himself and now that Owen was dead….

He physically shook off the thoughts of his murdered friend and the gold in the bag clinking together. He smiled as he hugged his treasure tightly. Gold was currency everywhere in every realm. He could set himself up anywhere he wanted. He just had to get away.

The ground under his feet suddenly changed to uneven wooden slats and he stumbled and tightened his arms around the holdall, breathing in a shaky breath of relief once he'd righted himself.

There was a thunk next to him and he looked down to see the woman from the liquor store unloading crates from a small dingy. She was looking up at him in surprise and he felt something cold grip his heart as her curious gaze dropped to the bag in his arms. He slung the holdall over one arm, pulling a revolver from his waist band with the other and then wobbled dangerously as the heavy swinging bag threw him off balance.

"Get in the boat," he snapped, waving his gun at her. She looked at him blankly.

"I'm already in the boat Mate," she replied.

"Then move over. You're taking me to the other side of the bay," he commanded. Without waiting for her to agree he jumped into the little wooden boat, and fell solidly onto his arse as the row boat rocked in the water. He didn't lose grip on his bag or the gun however and swung it up to point at the woman who held her hands up in surrender.

"Alright, alright. No need to wave that around you might hurt someone," the dark haired woman said in a careful but teasing tone.

"That's right I might," he snarled. The woman's smile fell and she pushed the boat out onto the bay without another word.

She set a good rhythm, the oars slapping the water and pushing them through the waves. Baker was surprised she seemed so at home, he had expected the store owner to tire quickly and beg to be allowed to stop. As they got further from the dock the waves grew larger and the dingy rocked not only side to side but in every direction. Baker was having a difficult time keeping his gun trained on the woman, but he wasn't going to let go of his treasure either.

"Lean on the stern there," the woman suggested after watching him struggle, nodding behind him. Baker twisted and saw the end of the row boat had a thick plank of wood which jutted up at the middle. He shuffled backwards, clumsily climbing over the seat as he tried to keep the gun pointing in the same direction. When he made it he slumped to the floor, his back against the plank and felt much more stable. The liquor woman nodded, smiling at him flatly.

He was just getting comfortable when he realised the seat of his trousers was getting wet. Looking down he was alarmed to see water sloshing around the bottom of the boat and it seemed to be getting deeper.

"Is the boat leaking? How can your boat be leaking?" he demanded. The woman looked genuinely embarrassed.

"It's not meant for long trips, just pootling about the dock for unloading the stock. Climb up on that crate of ale there." She said pointing out the box she'd not managed to unload next to him. "Don't worry it's only a small leak we'll be across before we come a cropper."

"Whatever," he huffed, doing as she suggested, but now he didn't have the stern at his back any more and the swell was making him sway about again.

"There," the woman said. "See that rope? Loop your arm in, it'll give you a bit of stability eh?" He looked where she pointed and saw a thick knotted rope hanging from a hole in the top of the plank he'd just been leaning on. Probably some sort of way to tie up the boat at the dock, he thought as he reached for it. The rope stubbornly swung away from him and he leaned further out, his fingers just grazing the rough fibres. An oar hit him square in the chest and the next thing he knew was the cold slap of the water as it engulfed him.

Taken by surprise his mouth was open and suddenly filled with the salty bitter seawater. He coughed and panicked, thrashing about until his head broke the surface and he spat out dirty water and spluttered breaths. Then a cold sensation even worse than the water surrounding him grabbed his heart. He wasn't holding the bag. He'd had the handle wrapped around his arm, he must have dragged it overboard with him. He plunged back under the surface but he might as well have had his eyes shut it was so dark. The treasure was gone.

He heard a steady splashing and realised the liquor woman had switched direction and was striking out back to the dock, the oars propelling her through the water before the baker had had time to push his wet ginger hair out of his eyes.

He still had his gun, his fingers feeling frozen around the grip. He lifted it above his head, his aim swinging back and forth as he kicked his legs, treading water poorly as his head dipped under the larger waves of water. The boat was getting smaller as it coasted away and in desperation he pulled the trigger again and again. Wet empty clicks sounded from the waterlogged weapon and he flung it in frustration, a pathetic plop echoing back to him from the dark water.

"Come back," he yelled.

"No," the woman yelled back, already well out of reach. The baker splashed left and right but couldn't see anything but dark water and the distant lights of the town. There was a splash and slop somewhere behind him and he heard a clanging in time with the churning waves.

"Hear that bell mate? It's a buoy for marking the shipping lane, I'd get to that if I were you. The water's awful cold this time of year," the sly fox called back to him, her cackles bouncing off the water as she disappeared into the darkness leaving the baker alone in the frigid ocean.

…

"So when this new prison is ready they'll all be in there together?" Mulan asked Emma as she waited for the deputy to pick the lock on the door.

"Mmm," Emma hummed. "Well I'm pretty sure whoever ends up in charge'll keep Ali Baba and Baker separate but they'll be in the same prison." She made a triumphant noise as the lock clicked and she shoved Ali Baba's front door only to hear a bang as a second lock prevented it from opening. "Seriously?" she asked the door and got to work again. "Peep'll be on the women's side," she said, going back to their conversation. "I guess she'll be company for Sapsorrow. They can swap skinning techniques."

Mulan looked disgusted but Emma missed it as she finally got the door open and stepped inside. It had been a couple of days since everything had happened and things had settled back down enough for Mulan to suggest they move Ali Baba's remaining treasure to a secure and actually secret location. Regina had worked up a nice vault with some hefty protection magic that should put off any would be thieves. Emma and Mulan just had to get the treasure and take it there.

Baker and Peep had told them the safe was in the front room behind a big fire place. Ali himself had refused to even admit he owned a safe. The front room was furnished like an office with a large desk and walls covered in shelves, apart from the far wall which had a large marble fireplace taking up most of it. Emma could just make out a faint dark stain spreading from the edge of stone onto the wood floor. She started to search for the panel the thieves had told her opens the door to the safe as Mulan walked to the room's window and looked across the road to the little flat opposite. So much greed focused on this one little patch of road, she marvelled. Turning back to Emma she realised you couldn't actually see the fireplace through the window just a narrow view of the office desk and the shelves behind it.

"Bingo," Emma said happily as a panel popped open on the wall beside the fireplace, revealing a very modern looking electronic key pad.

"Now what?" Mulan asked. "The thieves only saw the trap code and Ali Baba is not going to give us the real one."

"He doesn't need to," Emma said. "I know it already."

"How?" the Sheriff demanded.

Emma didn't answer, instead she leaned down and pressed the button labelled "OPEN" and then 737263. Nothing happened.

"Crap, I was going to look so cool when-"

The entire fireplace suddenly moved. With a shrill grinding of stone against stone it slid sideways into the wall and a golden light shone onto their amazed faces. There was an entire room of gold. Gold just piled up in heaps, gold bars in stacks, gold jewellery studded with gems, ornaments and statues and even gold furniture. Everywhere you looked there was something gold shining back at you.

"Huh, you don't see that everyday," Mulan said.

...

Hook looked up as a knocking sounded. He put down the book he was reading and opened the front door to find his partner stood outside.

"Finally finished moving everything?" he asked, stepping back to let the other man into house he shared with Emma and Henry.

"Yeah, took most of the day though. You should have seen it," David said. "I almost get why everyone was so crazy about it.

"Well I _should_ have seen it," Hook grumbled.

"Well you _shouldn't_ have given yourself a concussion and been ordered to rest. Then maybe you could have helped move the treasure of unimaginable wealth too," David replied. Hook noticed the bag David was carrying and raised an eyebrow at him with a smile.

"You bring me a souvenir Dave?" he asked.

"Like Mulan would let me get away with that," David laughed. "Though I do think helping her catch a bunch of robbers and a murderer has won us some plus points. No, actually I have a gift from your little friends at the shoe repairs shop." He pulled out a tiny two inch high doll in a small black leather jacket with a very recognisable hook on its left wrist.

"That is cute," Hook gasped as he held it and then licked his lips and looked at David in embarrassment. "Have I just destroyed my persona?" he asked.

"Don't worry I've never noticed that you had one," the prince teased. The two men moved over the kitchen area and Hook carefully placed the tiny version of himself right on top the coffee machine as David sat down at the table.

"There now, he can bother Swan when she makes her coffee each morning," he said happily and dropped into the chair opposite David. "Were they getting on alright?" he asked the prince, thinking of the gruff old man and the two tiny elves. The cobbler had put on a good show of being outraged at finding out he had squatters but his excitement at seeing the quality of their work had soon overshadowed everything else and Hook had left him explaining his filing system in great detail to his new little employees.

"Like a house on fire," David said, earning a scoff of amusement from the pirate. "I actually have something else for you," the prince said looking slightly nervous.

Reaching into the bag again he handed Hook a brown paper envelope, with what felt like a small brick inside. Hook upended the package and a stack of small white rectangular papers fell out. He slid the top one out of the elastic holding them together and saw a simple black image of a skull and crossbones with a crown floating above it. Underneath was written _Pirate Investigations_ in curling script. He turned the card over and both his and David's talking device numbers were written on the other side printed clearly next to their names. He turned the card back and forth a couple more times marvelling at how crisp and white and professional it looked.

"Do you hate them?" David asked. Hook looked up realising he'd been quiet for a while. "They're our business cards. We give them out so clients or people we want to be our clients have our numbers."

"I don't know much about business cards," Hook said carefully. "But I bloody love these Mate." David let out a laugh of relief.

"You know how to make a guy sweat," he complained.

"Pirate Captain," Hook shrugged as if that was an answer. "Well I have to make some room for these beauties." He stuck his hand in the inner pocket of his jacket and pulled out a couple of gold coins which landed on the table with a happy jingle. David picked one up as Hook reverently placed a few business cards in the now empty pocket.

"Where did you get these?" the prince asked suspiciously.

"Hmmm? Oh, here there's more actually," Hook unloaded two more handfuls onto the table top from various pockets. "Skylights gave them to me, said she felt we deserved a cut."

"A cut of what?"

"Seems she found sunken treasure in the bay" Hook said a slow grin slipping onto his face.

"This is stolen Hook," David scolded. Hook's grin got wider and he handed David one of his business cards, displaying the symbol on the front.

"Hello Mate, _Pirate_ Investigations," he said smugly and more than a little proudly. "And I have no idea what you are talking about. This was a gift from an old friend." David gave him an annoyed look over the table. Hook sighed. "Who can really claim to own it? The people the forty thieves took it from? Tell me who they are and I'll give it back." David frowned down at the coin and then leaned to the side and felt in his bag, pulling out an electronics catalogue.

"So I think I found the camera setup we should get," He said, slipping the coin in his hand into his trouser pocket. Hook grinned and moved his seat so the two of them were sat side by side.

….

 **Author's Note** : Check out the new cover image for this set of stories to see my mock up of their card, I found the images and put them together in a google search and then edited them in google photos and the editor on Fanfic. I did not draw them myself.

I hope you enjoyed this tale. Just the one shot to polish up and I should disappear to concentrate on my exam.

Thank you so much to everyone who has read these two stories, especially my regular reviewers **andria, Nouqueret, PassOneonta** and **Drowned-dreamer**. Your support meant the world.

Next chapter for further notes and disclaimers.

…..


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes and disclaimers:**

Note 1. So Mulan… I really wish Robin was still alive, I would have made him the new sheriff but he's not and my alternate, Merida, left, so I hope you agree with who I went with even though they were third choice. Also the poor woman is the eternal third wheel so if anyone from EF was going to end up in Untold Story it was going to be her. Which is sad because she's my favourite disney "princess".

Note 2. I really went back and forth on whether or not people would get _The Gingerbread Man_ reference/joke so in the end I decided not to risk it and let Skylights say it right at the start. Would you have got it by the end if I hadn't said anything? I love how I managed to rewrite the ending to the original tale, I hope you guys liked it too. In case you don't know it the gingerbread man is a literal biscuit man that runs away from everyone, (they do want to eat him in fairness) but he gets trapped by a river until a "helpful" fox offers to take him across. He doesn't reach the other side. (more below)

Note 3. The Sly Fox is a "villain" who gets a happy ending in most stories he's in, or at least gets to eat lunch, he's in _The Gingerbread man_ (where he tricks the gingerbread man into climbing onto his nose and then eats him) and _Chicken Licken_ (where he tricks the group of animals into his den and then eats them). There was no reason to make her a her or one of Hook's crew, that was just me having too much fun.

Note 4. Skylights is the name of a real member of Hook's crew in _Peter Pan._ I'm thirty percent sure he's the look out. I'm one hundred percent sure he's not a lady fox in that story.

Note 5. _The Elves and the Shoemaker_ was obviously the inspiration for my old cobbler/key cutter and his elf squatters. Did everyone realise that's what was happening from the get go? In that story an old shoemaker's shop is failing as he's all alone and too old to finish his work, then miraculously in the morning it's all done, turns out to be homeless elves and he makes them some clothes to say thank you and everyone is happy at the end.

Note 6. The team up of Peep, Baker and Smith are the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker from a nursery rhyme, the version of which I knew goes:

Rub a dub dub,  
Three fools in a tub,  
And who do you think they be?  
The butcher, the baker,  
The candlestick maker.  
Turn them out, knaves all three.

Apparently the original was actually about three "respectable men" watching a girl or something scandalous on the sly. Nudge, nudge.

Baker and Smith's names follow the tradition of naming people after their profession, just really bluntly. Bo Peep was used in the show in episode 4x02 _White Out_ , I haven't changed her much from that portrayal.

This is obviously also where the title of the fic comes from.

Note 7. The lady at number 84? Most people got this one I think. She was based on the old woman who lived in a shoe from the nursery rhyme and had so many children she didn't know what to do.

Note 8. What happened to the Lost Boys? Didn't Emma and Snow promise them families and happy lives? A&E have said we'll catch up with some minor characters in season 6, maybe we'll get some answers.

Note 9. The little girls are based on the rabbits from Disney's Robin Hood. Their real names are Sis and Taggalong which doesn't work in my fic sadly. Flo's line is lifted straight from the movie.

Note 10. Hook's line "One girl is worth more than twenty boys" is taken from _Peter Pan_. Peter says it to Wendy when he first meets her...the flirt.

Note 11. The lady at number 80? Is the princess from _Eighty Days Around The World_ by Jules Verne. She is rescued from her husband's funeral pyre where she is supposed to burn too and Phileas Fogg takes her off around the rest of the world with him. She naturally marries him at the end of the book.

Note 12. _Ali Baba and the_ _Forty Thieves_ is a tale Scheherazade tells as part of the _1001 Arabian Nights_. I stuck pretty much to the original story for Ali Baba's back story. I actually grew up knowing the full tale, stitching back together dismembered dead bodies and death by boiling oil and everything! I'll never forget it because the illustration for the boiling oil part was the maid pouring each jar one by one from another jar. Why didn't the first guy scream and jump out and then warn the others? O_o Anyway, I made the heroine the wife instead of the maid because that's how I had remembered her until I checked on wiki. The code Emma puts into Baba's safe spells out SESAME on a standard keypad, they are the magic words from the story which open the thieves' hideout. "Open Sesame"

Note 13. So when Henry was still learning to be the author in the Underworld, did anyone else get a slightly creepy voyeur/ stalker vibe from his story about Red and Dorothy? I mean he writes about people's inner most feelings, not just describing the scene. What if he wakes up and finds a sex scene lying in beautiful typeface on his pillow? … So I wanted to correct that here by making him reluctant to use his power randomly.

Note 14. Boulevard of Broken Dreams is a reference to the Greenday song. Henry is a teenager afterall.

I hope this was an enjoyable read and now I've had a go at tying lots of stories together I hope the new season of Once can give us some satisfying new characters and plot lines. I'm going to be really sad when there's no Captain Charming team up though :)

Thanks again for reading. Please leave me a review. I really want to know what you thought of this.


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